Tennis Arenas

Similar to golf, professional tennis sees four major tournaments take place each year, in Australia, France, England, and the United States. These Grand Slams are seen as the pinnacle of success for both men's and women's tennis, and individuals battle through eight rounds in order to lift the trophy.

Find out more about all four Grand Slams below, with information on each of the venues and courts.

The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific is the first major championship on each calendar year. The tournament has been held in Melbourne since 1905, although it used a grass surface prior to 1988. In that year, the first hard court Australian Open took place, and it has stayed that way ever since.

The most recent tournament saw a purse in excess of $23 million, with both Roger Federer and Serena Williams claiming the Grand Slam titles.

The French Open is one of two European Grand Slams, and the only one played on a clay surface. The event has been running since 1891, although it spent its formative years played on grass at Stade Francais. From 1927 onwards, the French Open has always been played the clay courts of Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal and Francesca Schiavone won singles titles at the 2010 French Open, and shared in a tournament purse of more than 16 million.

The oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world is officially known as The Championships, but commonly referred to as Wimbledon. The grass court Grand Slam has been running since 1877, and is played at the classic All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in south London.

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are the current champions of Wimbledon, where the 2010 prize pool was almost 14 million.

The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the year, and, similar to the Australian Open, is played on a hard surface. In its earliest format, the US Open began as a men's singles contest in 1881. After being both a grass and clay tournament at different times, the US Open finally became an official hard court event in 1978, and is now played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

As of its most recent tournament, the US Open saw Juan Martin del Potro and Kim Clijsters win respective titles and share in the $21.6 million purse.

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